<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>One day more by rydia</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25269064">One day more</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/rydia/pseuds/rydia'>rydia</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Canon-Typical Violence, Dragons, F/M, Fairy Tale Curses, Felileth Week, Happy Ending, True Love's Kiss, fairytale AU</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-07-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-07-18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 07:48:22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>14,231</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25269064</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/rydia/pseuds/rydia</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>There is a dragon, which Felix is very intent on slaying.</p>
<p>There is a mysterious woman, who is very intent on Felix <i>not</i> slaying the dragon.</p>
<p>Their solution? They duel.</p>
<p>Written for Felileth week day 3: Fairytale AU</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Felix Hugo Fraldarius/My Unit | Byleth</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>33</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>167</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Everyone knows there is a dragon to the east of Fraldarius territory. It hides in the deep mountains separating Faerghus from Leicester, and has been there for as long as anyone can remember. It’s said that it used to terrorise the land until the Duke Fraldarius at that time beat it back into the mountains, leaving it gravely injured. The story goes that the Duke took pity on the creature and said it may live so long as it remained in the mountains and never again dared to disturb his people. If it did, it would face the almighty wrath of Fraldarius.</p><p>Or, so the story went.</p><p>As a child, Felix thought it was stupid to not kill the dragon and risk it coming back and harming more people. He’d frowned up at his father after being told the story and said as much, and his brother Glenn had laughed and said, “He has a point, father.”</p><p>And their father had smiled and ruffled Felix’s hair and told his sons that there was a lesson to be learned from this story.</p><p>Felix had frowned at that. The lesson was clearly to kill the dragon.</p><p>It was just one of many stories that their father told them. Felix liked the ones with swords and fights better than the ones with cursed maidens and mages and kissing.</p><p>But, eventually, he forgot about the stories he’d been told as a child. His thoughts were taken up with far more important things as he grew up – mostly, in truth, perfecting his swordsmanship.</p><p>Felix is a man grown the next time he thinks about dragons again, and that’s because news reaches Fraldarius castle that a dragon – the dragon from the stories, they say – has been seen again for the first time in many decades. Since long before even Rodrigue had been born. It’s said that while the dragon hadn’t ventured out of the mountains, it had attacked some travellers attempting to make their way through the pass to Leicester.</p><p>His father is grave, even though the travellers escaped with their lives.</p><p>“It is known that the mountains are dangerous, and that the longer path to Leicester is the safer one,” he says. “It was folly for them to take that route.”</p><p>Felix frowns. “Why do you allow the dragon to live?”</p><p>“Because that was the deal made by our ancestor, so long ago,” Rodrigue replies patiently. “You know this, Felix.”</p><p>“I don’t see why we have to honour a deal made by someone who’s been dead for hundreds of years.”</p><p>Beside him, Glenn hides a smile. “He’s right, father. It <em>is</em> threatening the people of Fraldarius, and so also the people of Faerghus. I’m surprised the king has never ordered you to flush it out and finish it off.”</p><p>Rodrigue regards his sons with raised eyebrows. “You both speak as though it is easy to defeat a dragon.”</p><p>Felix exchanges a look with Glenn. They’re both old enough to have seen plenty of battles, having fought for their king on numerous occasions. They’ve dealt with dangerous mages and beasts as well as enemy soldiers – how much more difficult could a dragon be?</p><p>“How would you know when you’ve never fought a dragon?” Felix says to his father, bluntly.</p><p>Rodrigue smiles. “That’s true. But I wouldn’t underestimate one.”</p><p>Glenn and Rodrigue soon fall to a discussion Felix has little interest in – how quicker the merchants could reach Leicester from Fraldarius if the mountains were safe. It’s that kind of attentiveness from Glenn that will make him a good Duke when the time comes, but Felix has little patience for all that.</p><p>Instead, he goes to where he does his best work – the training grounds. But the thought of the dragon doesn’t leave his mind, and he soon makes a decision.</p><p>.</p><p>Felix knows better than to tell his father that he wants to go slay the dragon. While his father can’t stop his adult son from doing what he wishes, he <em>can</em> saddle him with a burdensome retinue out of concern for his safety, and they’ll follow Rodrigue’s orders, not Felix’s. And Felix works best on his own. The Duke Fraldarius that had defeated the dragon before had been alone, after all, and if he could defeat it, there’s no reason Felix can’t.</p><p>He’s held a sword in his hand since he was a child. Now it’s time to put it to use and protect the people of the country and so, he beings to make his preparations.</p><p>But Felix's problem is that he’s not a good liar. It won't take much for Glenn to suspect something.</p><p>His solution comes in the form of a letter, just days after they get the news of the dragon.</p><p>“Sylvain has asked me to visit him up in Gautier,” he tells his father and brother over dinner. “I intend to leave tomorrow morning.”</p><p>Rodrigue nods. “Please give the family my regards.”</p><p>Felix nods, and tries to ignore the sweat gathering on the back of his neck. He’s not lying, technically. Sylvain <em>had</em> written and asked Felix to visit. And Felix <em>will</em> be leaving in the morning. They’ve done this countless times before, and had this conversation every time. It’s just that <em>this</em> time he won’t be going to Gautier.</p><p>Felix does all he can to act normal, and avoids talking to Glenn for the rest of the day because he knows his brother will sniff out something strange going on immediately.</p><p>.</p><p>Felix successfully makes it out of the castle, and it takes him two days to reach the town that sits not far from the base of the eastern mountains. There is a path through there, Felix knows, that will bring you out on the other side and into Leicester within three days, rather than the ten or more day journey it takes to go around. There have been tales of people making it through unmolested, but Felix isn’t sure how true they are, not when there are just as many stories about the path being haunted by all those the dragon has killed.</p><p>All he really knows is that, generally, only the most foolish or daring try the mountain pass. Or perhaps the most desperate.</p><p>.</p><p>The following morning he leaves his room at the inn and makes his way through the town and towards the mountains. He is well armed, and confident in his skills, but on high alert. Despite what he’d said to his father, he’s not going to underestimate a dragon. Felix intends to come out of this encounter alive.</p><p>The path starts easy, and the sun begins to rise higher in the sky.</p><p>He walks until it is near midday, and still there’s no sign of a dragon.</p><p>The path is more lush than he’d expected, but he’s still far from the steep part where the vegetation is sparse and the air is harder to breath. When he reaches a large clearing he stops for a break, taking in the sight of a lake surrounded by tall, green grass, and some trees that are densely packed together, climbing up the mountainside. Felix stands for a long moment, senses searching for any kind of indication of danger, but there’s nothing. The birds are singing, and in the distance he can see rabbits darting through the grass. All is peaceful. For now, at least, it seems the dragon is not here.</p><p>Felix does spot a tree on its side, uprooted from the ground, and he can’t help but wonder if the dragon had done that, and if this is a reminder of the strength he should be wary about. He makes his way through the tall grass and sits on the fallen tree, pulling some food from his pouch for a quick lunch.</p><p>It’s turned into a beautiful day. The sun is high in a clear blue sky, and the gentle breeze stops it from being sweltering. The water of the lake in front of him is clear and clean, and he intends to fill up his nearly empty flask before leaving.</p><p>It’s peaceful, and Felix can feel himself relaxing – until there’s another sound among the gentle swaying of the grass, and he stands back up, alert, pulling out his sword.</p><p>He turns towards the cluster of trees knowing that, at least, it’s unlikely to be a dragon. There’s not enough space. But he’s not going to be taken unawares.</p><p>It’s certainly not a dragon who steps out from between the trees. It’s a woman, who stops when she sees him, but her face stays smooth and still.</p><p>“Who are you?” Felix asks, rude in his surprise.</p><p>The woman blinks and steps forward out of the shade and into the sunlight.</p><p>She’s beautiful, is his first thought. <em>Ethereal</em>. She has long green hair in a shade he’s never seen before, and she’s wearing an elegant white dress that comes down to the ground and has long sleeves. It looks rich, with gold detailing on the sleeves and hems. It also looks like something from a portrait from centuries ago, and certainly something very strange for someone to be wearing while wandering around a mountain. But of more interest to Felix is the sword that hangs by her side from a leather belt strapped around her waist. He wonders if she can even use it.</p><p>“My name is Byleth,” she says softly, standing a safe distance away.</p><p><em>Byleth</em>.</p><p>Felix lowers his sword, and then sheathes it. While she is wearing a weapon, he doubts she’s a threat. “My name is Felix.” That’s all he gives her. He’d decided to keep his true identity to himself. No need to draw attention.</p><p>“Felix,” she repeats, and smiles at him. It’s a tiny smile, just a slight upturning of her lips, but it makes her big green eyes warm, and something about it makes him blush.</p><p>He looks away. “What are you doing up here? It’s dangerous.”</p><p>“I like to fish.” Felix glances at her to see that she’s looking out over the lake. “And I can take care of myself.”</p><p>He stares at her, unimpressed and disbelieving. “There’s a dragon.”</p><p>“I know.”</p><p>A pause.</p><p>“You <em>know</em>?” A tiny nod. “Then why are you here?” he asks again.</p><p>She doesn’t answer for a long time. Finally, she turns the question on him. “Why are you here, Felix?”</p><p>He ignores the pleasant way his name falls from her lips, instead straightening up fully and resting a hand on the hilt of his sword. “I’m here to kill the dragon.”</p><p>It doesn’t get the reaction he wants. Instead, Byleth looks back out over the lake, all warmth leaving her face. “I see,” she says so softly that it’s almost lost on the breeze. “Why?”</p><p>“What do you mean, <em>why</em>? It’s dangerous. It’s killed people, and it stops us from using the path in the mountains. I don’t know why my– why it’s been left alive.”</p><p>Her eyes turn back to his, sad and, somehow, inexplicably, ancient.</p><p>“I wish I could tell you,” is all she says.</p><p>He frowns at that, but decides it’s more important to get her safely off the mountain than it is to figure out why she’s being so enigmatic. “Come,” he says, impatient. “I’ll walk you back down the mountain to the town where it’s safe.”</p><p>“I can’t do that.”</p><p>He’s unable to curb the annoyance in his voice. “Why not?”</p><p>“There’s no dragon here now. She only comes out at night.”</p><p>The fact that she’s sidestepping his question only makes him more annoyed. “Fine,” he snaps. “It’s not my problem if the dragon eats you.”</p><p>“If it makes you feel any better, I can assure you that won’t happen.”</p><p>“And just <em>why</em> are you so certain?”</p><p>Byleth’s hand comes to rest on the hilt of her sword, mirroring his posture from a moment ago. “I have a weapon.”</p><p>He snorts in disbelief. “Can you even use it?”</p><p>“Yes.”</p><p>“Then fight me. Prove that you can defend yourself.”</p><p>She regards him for a long moment, gaze cooling. “I have nothing to prove to you.” Turning away, she takes a step back into the forest. “Please don’t seek out the dragon, Felix. Go home.”</p><p>She’s leaving, and Felix finds he doesn’t want that. “Wait!” he calls after her, but Byleth ignores him, and quickly slips into the tress.</p><p>Swearing under his breath, Felix jogs after her, and finds the close thicket of trees darker than he expected.</p><p>“Byleth?” He can’t see her anymore, and he glances back out beyond the trees, to the bright day and the clear lake beyond.</p><p>There’s energy crackling along his skin, and he can feel the hairs on his neck raising.</p><p><em>Magic</em>.</p><p>Not liking this, he backs out of the dense trees and doesn’t stop until he’s a safe distance away.</p><p>Uncertainty prickles at him. That woman could be in danger, despite how assured of herself she’d seemed.</p><p>But… she’d said the dragon only comes out at night. That would mean it’s safe for her to be here so long as she makes it back to the town by nightfall. Felix frowns. Perhaps he should have spoken to some of the townspeople and tried to find out more information. One of them might have told him of the dragon’s habits.</p><p>He glances up at the tall peaks of the mountain. Does that mean the dragon is sleeping somewhere during the day? Surely that’s the best time to attack it.</p><p>Unfortunately, he’s sure it’s hidden well away. It would take months to search the mountain.</p><p>No, he thinks grimly. Better to make it come to him.</p><p>.</p><p>That night he builds a fire – not too far from the lake, deciding he can use this clearing to his advantage, and the trees if he needed cover.</p><p>Despite his efforts not to, his thoughts keep turning back to Byleth. She’d been needlessly mysterious, but he hopes she’s returned to the town.</p><p>He’s still annoyed that she refused to fight him. If she can use that sword, like she’d said, then why didn’t she prove it?</p><p>But he can’t allow thoughts of her to distract him. Not when he’s sitting in wait for a dragon.</p><p>Felix remains alert all night, keeping the fire burning high and bright.</p><p>No dragon appears.</p><p>.</p><p>Felix spends the next three days and nights in the same routine – by day he sleeps and then hunts for food to supplement his rations, as well as searching for wood to build up his fire at night. And when night falls, he lights it, keeping it burning with magic, and waits.</p><p>And still no dragon appears.</p><p>As each day passes, Felix grows more annoyed and frustrated. He doesn’t like this waiting and it is, truthfully, something he hadn't accounted for. He’d thought the dragon would appear straight away and this would be over quickly.</p><p>Now he needs to return to the town to restock.</p><p>He’d thought he’d be on his way back to Fraldarius by now, flush with the news that the dragon had been defeated, and the people are safe.</p><p>Briefly, Felix does considers returning home. But only briefly, before he dismisses it, not wanting to admit failure.</p><p>So he restocks, and spends a comfortable night at the inn catching up on his sleep.</p><p>And then he returns to the mountain.</p><p>This time, the fire he lights is bigger than before, flames spitting high into the sky, and something inside him <em>knows</em> and tells hims to stay alert, that tonight he’ll face the dragon.</p><p>He feels it approach before he can see it; a subtle shift in the air that has him on his feet and sword in his hand just before the moon above him is briefly blocked out by a large creature overhead.</p><p>And then he hears it; the loud gust of air as the wings flap, the harsh breathing.</p><p>And then it <em>roars</em>.</p><p>The noise is so loud Felix can feel it in his bones. But he grits his teeth and watches as the dragon lands across the clearing at a safe distance away.</p><p>Now that it’s landed, Felix can see it better, illuminated by the moon and glow of the fire. It’s large, larger than he’d expected, and as it roars again, he can see its teeth, sharp and vicious. It’s difficult to determine the colour of its scales, as they seem to ripple and shimmer with each movement the beast makes, but he thinks it might be green. A light green.</p><p>It is most certainly a <em>dragon</em>, and Felix recalls everything he’s ever learned about them, knowing that the easiest way to kill one is to strike the soft underbelly of it, or else remove the head. He eyes the thick neck of the dragon as it raises its head to roar again.</p><p>For the first time, Felix wonders if he might have been better off asking someone to come with him. Sylvain, perhaps.</p><p>Too late for that now, though.</p><p>He advances slowly, and the dragon lowers its head to watch him. It huffs, in a manner that Felix might almost think petulant, before the mouth opens wider and releases an attack – a blinding light that it uses to scorch the ground in front of him, making him halt in his advance, forcing him to reconsider.</p><p>The dragon does the same thing again, and Felix springs backwards. But, like before, it only hits the earth in front of him, blistering the ground and burning the grass.</p><p>It doesn’t want him to get any closer, but it also isn’t attacking him directly.</p><p><em>Strange</em>, Felix thinks, and decides to change his approach. He gathers his own energy and casts a Thoron on the creature, striking it in the side. It shrieks and shifts backwards, but Felix can see it’s not badly hurt – more surprised than anything else.</p><p>He braces himself for retaliation, watching carefully as the dragon’s head sways from side to side, growls rumbling through its throat. Quite suddenly – and far quicker than it should, given it’s size – it leaps forward and raises onto it’s back legs. Any thoughts Felix has about striking the now exposed belly are quickly extinguished, because he’s knocked backwards as soon as it starts to beat its powerful wings.</p><p>Felix hits the ground hard and the dragon shrieks again, leaving his ears ringing. He scrambles back to his feet, still holding his sword…</p><p>Only to find the dragon already in the air. Just as he considers another magic attack, it beats its wings again, moving out of range.</p><p>And then it leaves.</p><p>It just… <em>leaves</em>, flying back over Felix’s head and upwards into the mountain peaks. Soon, it’s lost to the darkness, and for a long time Felix stays still, staring at the sky, expecting it to suddenly reappear and attack him. Every gust of wind or distant animal noise has him on high alert.</p><p>It’s not until the sun begins to rise does he accept that it isn’t coming back, and the adrenaline that had kept him going all night turns to frustration.</p><p>.</p><p>Felix finds a sheltered place to rest for a couple of hours before he returns to the lake, head full of the night before and how to decipher the dragon’s behaviour.</p><p>That mysterious woman is there. He spots her immediately, standing by the water. Her arms are folded and she’s glaring at him. She’s wearing the same dress as before, and still has a sword slung around her waist.</p><p>For some inexplicable reason, Felix gets the impression she’s been waiting for him.</p><p>“Byleth.” He breathes her name out.</p><p>“Why are you still here?” she asks, an edge to her voice.</p><p>He narrows his eyes at her, and replies in a biting tone, “Dragon’s still alive, isn’t it?”</p><p>“You’re a fool,” she scoffs. “This will get you killed.”</p><p>His anger spikes. “I’m not the one running around in a silly dress. Go home to your husband,” he sneers. “Before <em>you</em> get killed.”</p><p>She makes an incredulous noise and shakes her head, and Felix feels a little bad. Perhaps he’d been a little too harsh.</p><p>But when Byleth looks at him again, her gaze is fierce. Felix watches as she unsheathes her sword and points it at him. He can see from here that it’s a fine weapon, and he finds himself a little jealous and curious as to how she got her hands on such a sword. “I challenge you to a duel,” Byleth says, voice even despite her obvious anger. “When I win, you give up this idea and go home.” She pauses briefly. “Where you can cry to your mother.”</p><p>Felix grits his teeth and pulls out his sword. “My mother is <em>dead</em>.”</p><p>The sudden look of abashment on Byleth’s face is cute, but Felix tries to ignore that and remain angry at her.</p><p>“Oh,” she replies, sword lowering slightly. “So is mine. I’m sorry.”</p><p>He shakes his head, looking away from her. “Shut up. It doesn’t– I’m not–” He pauses, wondering what to say. “This is stupid.” He raises his sword at her, trying to hold onto his anger. “I’m happy to duel you but not on those terms. I’m not giving up my hunt.”</p><p>She grumbles something under her breath that Felix can’t quite make out. Her sword raises again. “Then how about this? When I win, you immediately leave the mountain for the day and night and return to the town. No dragon hunting.”</p><p>He scoffs and steps closer. “When <em>I</em> win, you stand aside and go home.” He pauses. “And I claim your sword as my boon. Those are my terms.”</p><p>To his surprise she laughs, a pleasant, light sound that has Felix transfixed as he watches the way her eyes crinkle and her lips turn upwards. “Very well, Felix. I accept your terms.” With that, Byleth steps forward and lightly taps her sword against Felix’s. It’s as good as a handshake in his eyes.</p><p>“Rules?”</p><p>Felix considers the question. He wants to beat her but not hurt her, and they are fighting with real weapons. “No blood, if possible. First to yield.”</p><p>Byleth raises her eyebrows but nods. The smile drops from her face as she steps back and falls into a ready stance. Between that and the way she holds her sword, Felix knows he’s been very wrong about assuming she didn’t know how to use it.</p><p>But he’s still confident. He’s been holding a blade in his hand for as long as he can remember, and he’s not going to be defeated by this woman.</p><p>Felix attacks first, testing her defenses, wondering if he’ll be able to end this quickly. But Byleth is quick, her movements fluid as she parries him easily and dances away from him, eyes calculating. Felix knows she’s appraising his form just as much as he is hers.</p><p>They continue in this vein for some time – Felix pressing, Byleth deflecting. And deflecting with such skill that Felix knows she’s capable of much more.</p><p>Frustrated he steps back, still watching her warily. “You wanted this duel. Attack me.”</p><p>Her eyes narrow, and she charges forward quicker than Felix has seen her move yet. He’s forced backwards, and he curses himself because his response is too slow, and his arms are suddenly clumsy in the face of her onslaught. He’s left himself open, he knows, and her sword swings towards him – too fast, it’s too fast, and for a split second Felix thinks she’s going to kill him, that her sword will slice right through his neck.</p><p>It doesn’t. Instead, Felix feels the cold steel lightly touch his skin. His raises his eyes to meet Byleth’s heavy gaze.</p><p>“Yield.” Her voice is soft but the demand is clear.</p><p>He swallows, and forces the words out. “I yield.”</p><p>Immediately the sword against his skin disappears, and he watches as Byleth sheathes it again. Felix presses a hand to his throat, a strange mix of emotions welling up in him, none of which he can settle on, some of which he can’t even identify.</p><p>“Where did you learn to fight like that?” He doesn’t mean to sound as demanding as he does, but he’s never seen <em>anyone</em> move quite like that.</p><p>Byleth looks away. “My father, mostly.”</p><p>Felix perks up at that, despite the lingering sting of his loss. “Is he in the town?” Perhaps he could learn from him.</p><p>“He’s dead.” Byleth’s reply is short, and she turns away from him, walking back towards the trees.</p><p>“Wait!” Felix calls, running after her, wanting more answers.</p><p>Byleth stops short, and turns to him, eyes blazing. “You lost. Leave.”</p><p>He rocks on his heels, torn between doing what he’d promised and pressing her with more questions. It’s not like she can make him leave, but…</p><p>His eyes drift down to the sword by her side.</p><p>“Fine. But it’s just for today. I’ll be back tomorrow.”</p><p>Her chin raises and she glares up at him. “I’ll be waiting.”</p><p>.</p><p>Felix abides by his promise, but he spends the rest of the day restless, wandering the streets of the town, lost in thought. It had been exhilarating fighting Byleth, he realises, and he also knows that he’s far better than the display he’d given her today. She’d caught him off guard. That wouldn’t happen again.</p><p>He’ll give her a real challenge tomorrow.</p><p>.</p><p>He finds Byleth in the same place the next morning, and his heart begins to race at the sight of her. Today, he’s determined to beat her.</p><p>She tilts her head at him in question. “Same as yesterday?”</p><p>“Same as yesterday,” Felix echos, and raises his sword.</p><p>.</p><p>Once again, he loses, and is forced to return to the town, bound by his own words.</p><p>.</p><p>The days begin to slip by and Felix falls into something of a routine. In the morning he rises early and has breakfast before making his way to where he’ll find Byleth waiting. There, she says little, and they duel.</p><p>And she always wins and sends him on his way, refusing to answer any of his questions.</p><p>Felix wishes there was someone else she could fight. He wants to be able to watch her properly, to take in exactly what she’s doing. She’s so fast and quick, flowing like a powerful river. And she’s strong. Far stronger than she looks. He’d been a fool to underestimate her.</p><p>He hasn’t forgotten about the dragon – which, as far as he can tell, no one has seen since his own strange encounter with it. And he knows he doesn’t <em>have</em> to face Byleth each day and do this. He can ignore her and continue on into the mountains and look for the dragon again.</p><p>But Felix finds he doesn’t want to do that. He wants to surpass her and he wants to learn from her. He wants to win that beautiful sword from her and be stronger when he does go on to defeat the dragon.</p><p>Each loss frustrates him, though. She seems to have sussed him out completely while he’s hardly got a grip on her at all.</p><p>Each day, once he gets back into the town, he keeps an eye out for Byleth, because she must live here too. But he never sees her, and it makes him even more curious. Perhaps she lives on the farmland that surrounds the town? But her sword and dress suggests someone with money, and all the richest people in the area live here. Just who is she?</p><p>Occasionally he asks people – the innkeeper, the chef who cooks his dinner, merchants – if they know anyone called Byleth. But they never do.</p><p>.</p><p>Knowing he’s likely to be gone longer than expected, the following morning Felix writes a short letter home and pays a messenger to deliver it and say they’d come from Gautier.</p><p>When he finally reaches the lake that morning, he thinks for a moment that Byleth isn’t there, and the disappointment hits him hard until he spots her, sitting by the edge of the water, far from her usual spot. She doesn’t look up at him as he approaches carefully, instead keeping her eyes on the water.</p><p>She’s fishing, Felix realises, and he starts in surprise when she suddenly stands and begins reeling in her catch on the rod in her hands. It doesn’t take long for her to pull up a decent sized fish, and she makes a small noise of pleasure as she unhooks it and tosses it onto the grass.</p><p>Only then does she acknowledge Felix, glancing at him out of the corner of her eyes.</p><p>“You’re late.”</p><p>For some reason that makes him defensive. “I didn’t know we had a set time to meet.”</p><p>Byleth shrugs. “You’re usually here earlier than this. I thought you weren’t coming today.”</p><p>“Sorry to disappoint you,” he mutters, crossing his arms, looking at the fish she’d just caught as it struggles on the grass. He recalls something she’d said the first time they’d met.</p><p>“You like to fish, don’t you?”</p><p>“I do.” A pause. “It’s just as well, because there’s not much else to do.”</p><p>He frowns at that. “But you obviously train?”</p><p>“Oh,” she replies, like that hadn’t occurred to her before. “Of course. And sleep. I sleep a lot.”</p><p>Felix’s frown deepens. “You’re weird.”</p><p>“So are you,” Byleth counters, but she’s clearly not offended by his assessment. “You’re obsessed with slaying a dragon.”</p><p>“It’s killing people,” he snaps. “It should have been stopped a long time ago.”</p><p>Byleth sighs, and glances at the still flopping fish. She picks it up and tosses it back into the lake.</p><p>“Why’d you do that?” Felix asks, flabbergasted.</p><p>“I was going to cook it for lunch, but you’re here now so I’ll eat later.” She shrugs. “I’ll catch another one when we’re done.”</p><p>“I would have waited.”</p><p>She cuts a sharp look at him. “Would you?”</p><p>“Of course,” he replies hotly, stung.</p><p>“Hm.” Byleth looks away. “I didn’t think you would. You’re so eager to defeat the dragon.”</p><p>“I want to defeat you first.” His words make Byleth turn to him again, surprised, and Felix continues on, feeling his ears heat up as he talks. “Until I’ve proven myself against you, I’m not ready to face a dragon.”</p><p>Her mouth opens and closes in surprise. “I… see.”</p><p>“So,” Felix mutters, looking out over the still water of the lake. “I’d have waited.”</p><p>There’s a long moment of silence in which the only sound is the wind rustling through the grass. And then Byleth shrugs, setting her fishing rod down and stepping towards him. “I’ll keep that in mind.” Her hand slides around the grip of her sword. “But I am hungry, so let’s get this out of the way so I can eat.”</p><p>The casual way she speaks of their duel – like the outcome is already so clear – makes Felix bristle, determined to beat her today.</p><p>.</p><p>He loses, again.</p><p>He can see how he’s getting better against her, learning not only her fighting style but also seeing how he can improve his own. Simply duelling Byleth once a day is drastically improving his form. And even though he’s lost every match, each one is exhilarating.</p><p>After he yields, Byleth steps away from him and sheathes her sword as she glances back at the lake. At this point, she usually dismisses him, and Felix is left to wander back to town, irritated and restless and counting down the hours until he can come back and fight her again.</p><p>But today is different. Byleth instead turns back to him and asks, “Are you hungry?” At Felix’s nonplussed stare, she shrugs, cheeks colouring from something that has nothing to do with her recent exertion. “I’m good at cooking fish. If you want some.”</p><p>“I do,” he replies, the words coming out a little brusquely in his surprise, but Byleth simply nods and wanders back over to her fishing rod, setting it up and throwing it into the water.</p><p>Felix hovers near her, not sure how close he should get. He knows how to fish, but it’s only ever been out of necessity. It’s not something he really has the patience for.</p><p>Feeling awkward, he eventually asks, “Does it take long to catch one?”</p><p>“Not usually,” is her easy reply, eyes trained on the water. “This is a good spot.”</p><p>“Oh.” And then Felix can think of nothing to say, so he simply watches Byleth watching the water.</p><p>True to her word, it doesn’t take long for Byleth to haul up another decently sized fish. “Get a fire going,” she tells him, “and I’ll catch another.”</p><p>Wordlessly, Felix builds a small fire – by now, he’s an expert in building fires. By the time he’s done Byleth has caught another fish and began gutting them. It doesn’t take long before both fish are cooking over the fire.</p><p>Byleth meets his eyes over the flames, breaking the long silence that has fallen between them. “Where are you from, Felix?”</p><p>While Felix had wanted to keep the fact that he’s the Duke’s son quiet, there’s no harm in being truthful. “Fraldarius.”</p><p>She scoffs. “I knew that. Everyone here is from Fraldarius.”</p><p>“That’s not true. There’s a merchant in the town from Leicester.” Not letting her reply, Felix continues on. “It’s people like him that want to be able to use the mountain pass, you know.”</p><p>“I’m sure,” Byleth says sourly, rotating the fish over the fire. Her eyes flash at him. “When is the last time someone was killed by the dragon, Felix?”</p><p>He frowns. “Everyone knows the stories–“</p><p>“<em>Stories</em>. Centuries old. The merchants that tried to pass through not so long ago woke up the dragon and attacked her. She defended herself and flew away. It’s worth mentioning that none of them were killed.”</p><p>”But–“</p><p>Her voice is thick, heavy with an emotion that Felix doesn’t understand. “Did it ever occur to you that maybe she just wants to be left alone? Just let her sleep.” She bows her head forward, hair falling across her face.</p><p>Not for the first time, Felix is bewildered by her. “Why do you care so much about a dragon?”</p><p>She sighs, long and heavy. “I wish I could tell you.”</p><p>He blinks, sure that isn’t the first time she’d said those words to him. The fire crackles between them, and Byleth’s head remains bowed.</p><p>The silence stretches between them, and Felix fidgets, uncomfortable and confused, wondering if he should leave or apologise – even if he’s not sure what he should be apologising for.</p><p>It’s Byleth who speaks first. “You fight like a knight,” she says quietly. “And your sword is finely made. Are you from Fraldarius castle?”</p><p>Clearly Felix hasn’t been as subtle as he’d thought and he swallows heavily, heart thudding. But he supposes it doesn’t matter much if she knows who he is. And he’s really not very good at lying.</p><p>“Yes.”</p><p>Her head raises, gaze piercing through him. “Are you a knight? You don’t act like one?”</p><p>He scoffs at that. “No, I’m not a knight. I’m…” He hesitates a moment, and then answers. “I’m the second son of the Duke.”</p><p>Byleth straightens up, eyes widening. “You’re a <em>Fraldarius</em>?”</p><p>Her tone makes him cringe. “Yes.”</p><p>Standing up suddenly, one of her hands goes to grab the hilt of her sword and for a split second Felix tenses, thinking she’s going to attack him again. But then her hand drops and Byleth heaves in a deep breath. “I suppose it makes sense,” she says dully, “that it would be a Fraldarius so obsessed with the dragon. You want to finish the job your ancestor started, is that it?”</p><p>Warily, Felix also stands. “I don’t care what some dead person did. I just want to keep people safe, now.”</p><p>“They <em>are</em> safe!” Byleth cries out, before composing herself. “What I told you–“ She stops, a frustrated look crossing her face. Her mouth opens and closes, while Felix stares on. “What if I told you that I–“ Once again she stops, like the words have been robbed from her.</p><p>“What if you told me <em>what</em>?” Felix prompts her, impatient. His nose wrinkles at a strange smell in the air; it reminds him of how magic feels, but neither of them are casting any spells.</p><p>”I. I–“ Byleth throws her hands up, looking furious. “It doesn’t matter. You can have the fish. I’m not hungry anymore.” What that, she turns away and begins stalking across the grass. It’s not long before she disappears into the trees.</p><p>Felix watches her go, once more at a loss for words. All he can think is that, out of the two of them, Byleth seems to be the one obsessed with the dragon, not him.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>I am counting this as my day 7 entry for Felileth week because I spent so long on it I never got a chance to finish my original plans.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Felix is wary when he approaches their spot early the next morning, wondering if Byleth will even show up. But she’s there, standing still and straight, watching him with a blank expression.</p><p>He stops a couple of feet in front of her, and for a moment they simply stare at each other. He’d spent the night tossing and turning, unable to get her face out of his head, thinking about all the things she’s said to him and trying, unsuccessfully, to figure her out. In the end, he’d decided to not mention the dragon at all, unless she does.</p><p>Instead, he takes a deep breath and asks, “What did you mean yesterday when you said I fight like a knight?”</p><p>She cocks her head to the side, keeping her eyes fixed on him, and Felix can’t help but be reminded of a predator sizing up its prey.</p><p>“You’re good, but too rigid,” she answers after a beat. “Easy to predict. Stuck in the formations they drilled into you instead of relying on your instincts. Formations they’ve been using forever.”</p><p>The criticism stings, but at the same time, he’s eager to hear more. To get better. “Teach me,” he demands.</p><p>Byleth shrugs lightly. “You’ve been learning from each of our duels. I don’t know how else I could teach you.”</p><p>“Tell me,” he replies quickly. “After. How you beat me. What I could have done better.”</p><p>She wavers at that, he can see it, and he suspects she’s thinking what <em>he’s</em> thinking – by doing this, Felix will be better able to beat her. He’ll win the duel eventually and be free from the promise he’d made to her. But that’s really not why he’s asking. He wonders if he should tell her that, but she probably wouldn’t believe him.</p><p>“Alright,” Byleth finally says softly. A smile crosses her lips but it doesn’t touch the rest of her face.</p><p>.</p><p>Byleth is true to her word. She keeps beating him, and now they usually fight more than once a day, getting the duel out of the way first so they can get in more casual practice after.</p><p>Felix often stays afterwards, and they eat together, eating the fish that Byleth easily catches from the lake.</p><p>They speak little and stick to safe topics – or safe <em>topic</em>, really, as they only talk about swords and sword fighting as Felix pushes back the urge to question her on everything else, not wanting to say something that will have her leave like before.</p><p>On one of his afternoons spent meandering aimlessly around the town, he impulsively decides to buy some herbs and spices. Byleth can cook a fish to perfection, but they still need some seasoning.</p><p>The following day, after their duel and subsequent training, Byleth allows him to season their fish as he likes, not paying much attention to what he's doing. But it’s not long after she takes a large bite of her fish that she’s spluttering and coughing, and Felix realises he might have been a bit heavy handed with the spices. Glenn has often teased him about that.</p><p>
  <em>“How do you even have any tastebuds left?”</em>
</p><p>Felix shoves his flask of water at Byleth, who drinks it gratefully. It takes a few more minutes for her to recover completely, her eyes and nose running.</p><p>He can’t help but laugh when she wipes her nose on the long sleeve of her dress.</p><p>Her red rimmed eyes narrow on him as she takes another gulp of water. “What?”</p><p>“You’re not very ladylike, are you?”</p><p>She shoves his flask back at him. Felix accepts it, breath catching as their fingers brush.</p><p>Byleth looks away, flushing. Her fingers curl around the edges of her sleeves. “I’m not a lady.”</p><p>“You dress like one,” he counters. She’s always wearing the same dress. It never even seems to get dirty.</p><p>She shrugs. “Well, I’m not. You’re not much of a noble, are you?”</p><p>“Probably not.” He’s never much cared to be, and it never really mattered. Glenn is the heir, not him. “Sorry about the fish,” he goes on. “I shouldn’t have put so much on.”</p><p>She shakes her head. “It’s alright. It was nice, underneath the burning.” Her lips quirk upwards into a small, real smile. “It’s been so long since I tasted anything like that.”</p><p>Felix stares at her, feeling his own lips curving upwards in response. “Why is that?” he can’t help but ask.</p><p>She doesn’t respond, instead taking a much smaller and more careful bite of fish, managing not to cough much this time, keeping her eyes on her food.</p><p>“Aren’t you going to answer <em>any</em> of my questions?” Felix can’t quite keep the petulance out of his voice.</p><p>“Why should I?” Her eyes flick up to his briefly before returning to her food.</p><p>“Because… because I’ll answer yours.”</p><p>She shakes her head. “You’ll answer what you want to answer, and that’s it. I’ll do the same.”</p><p>He falls silent, unable to argue with that. Instead, he thinks back on what little she’s told him in the time they’ve spent together. “Your parents… you mentioned you lost them both.” Byleth makes a noise that might be a <em>yes</em> so that’s enough for him to go on. “Have you been on your own since then?”</p><p>She stills at that, eyes remaining downcast. “Yes.”</p><p>Perhaps that explains it, Felix thinks. A woman on her own, fallen on difficult times. Maybe that sword had belonged to her father, the last thing she had left of him. At least she knows how to defend herself. “I’m sorry,” he says honestly. “My mother died when I was young and I don’t remember her. But I still have my father and my brother.”</p><p>“I always thought it would be nice to have a brother,” Byleth says wistfully. Finally, she looks back up at him. “What’s yours like?”</p><p>It’s easy for Felix to talk about Glenn, so he does, speaking far more than he usually would. He describes his brother to Byleth – how Glenn always protected him, and how good he is with a sword. Felix has always thought his brother the best swordsman he’s ever seen. Byleth has made him reassess that.</p><p>But he keeps that thought to himself.</p><p>The whole time he talks, Byleth watches him with an eager interest that makes him blush. When he finally stops, she says with a small smile, “You really admire him, don’t you?”</p><p>“Of course I do,” is his sharp reply, because anyone who meets Glenn admires him.</p><p>Her smile widens and she leans forward, closer to him. “That’s sweet.”</p><p>The way she’s looking at him makes him feel hot, but he blames it on the sun shining down on them instead.</p><p>.</p><p>Byleth always seems sad, Felix thinks. Even when she’s smiling. And she smiles more often around him these days, after they’ve trained and they’re sitting and eating. He tells her about Fhirdiad and Gautier and Galatea, and his friends in each place. She listens with rapt attention and a wistful look to everything he says, and even while her attention makes him blush, Felix finds he craves it.</p><p>But her eyes always stay sad.</p><p>When she defeats him in their duel, she’s taken to saying the same thing with a twist of her mouth that he can never decipher. She might be happy about it, she might be sad about it. She might be both.</p><p>“I suppose I’ll be seeing you again tomorrow.”</p><p>.</p><p>The more he trains with Byleth, the more Felix wishes he could have met her father, to know the person that had trained <em>her</em> so well.</p><p>And the more he trains with Byleth, the more aware of her he becomes, especially when they’re close together, trading blows. More than once, she’s knocked him on his back, and looms over him, sword at his throat, her long hair falling between them. It makes his breath catch and his heart thud.</p><p>The more time Felix spends with her, the less he’s able to imagine not seeing her every day.</p><p>And that’s what makes him ask and break the unspoken rule they’d made to not speak about the dragon.</p><p>“Would you ever leave here?” is what he asks, abrupt.</p><p>Byleth goes very still at the question, her eyes getting that faraway look in them. “I… no.” She finally answers, refusing to meet his eyes.</p><p>Felix frowns. “Whenever I tell you about somewhere else, you always say <em>that sounds so nice,</em> or something like that. What’s stopping you from actually going and seeing for yourself? I’ll take you wherever you want to go.”</p><p>He flushes and stops talking, having not meant to say that last part.</p><p>Byleth, on her part, does look at him then, mouth slightly agape, and that does nothing to make Felix feel better.</p><p>“Forget it,” he mutters, embarrassment licking up his neck as he stands up, ready to make a quick exit.</p><p>But Byleth also rises, and darts forward to catch his wrist in her hand. The unexpected touch makes Felix start in surprise, eyes dropping to where she’s touching him.</p><p>Her hand is colder than he’d thought it would be, but her touch still burns him, sending a jolt of electricity through his body.</p><p>“I can’t,” she says softly, and Felix looks up, surprised to find her face so close to his.</p><p>He swallows heavily as he watches her tongue dart out to wet her lips. “You can’t?” he repeats, voice rough. And then, more demanding, “Why not?”</p><p>She lets him go but doesn’t move away. Neither does Felix, and both of them stand there, frozen for a long moment before Byleth simply repeats herself.</p><p>“I can’t.”</p><p>That makes him turn away, annoyed. “That’s all you ever say. <em>I can’t</em>, or, <em>I wish I could tell you</em>. If you wanted to tell me, you would. You’re just being a coward.” The rejection stings more than it should.</p><p>“You don’t understand,” Byleth says, sounding frustrated, but Felix doesn’t turn to look back at her.</p><p>“No, I don’t, because you don’t tell me anything.”</p><p>He leaves, refusing to look back at her, chiding himself for the foolish notions he’d entertained of seeing Byleth after all this. He doesn’t know what he means to her, but it’s clear it’s not as much as she means to him.</p><p>.</p><p>The next morning he reaches the lake earlier than he ever has before. So early Byleth isn’t even there yet.</p><p>For the first time he reconsiders even following this stupid ritual, chasing after praise and a win against a woman that clearly cares nothing for him.</p><p>It’s not like he cares for her, he tells himself. She’s just good with a sword.</p><p>He doesn’t need her <em>permission</em> to stay on this mountain. He doesn’t need to have anything to do with her at all.</p><p>And yet he waits for her, remaining silent when she does appear from the trees and makes her way towards him.</p><p>“Felix,” she begins, “I–“</p><p>Not interested in talking, he unsheathes his sword and points it towards her, challenge clear, and Byleth’s voice dies out, her expression sad.</p><p>Her resolve takes over then, because she also pulls out her sword, raising it with a sigh.</p><p>“The usual rules,” Felix bites out, focusing his thoughts entirely on everything he’s learned from Byleth these past few weeks.</p><p>He moves as soon as she nods in agreement, their swords clashing in the early morning light, intending to put Byleth on the backfoot immediately. Forcing her backwards, he allows her no quarter, but she’s more than able to defend herself, as Felix knows well. But he keeps up his quick attacks, moving fluidly to parry Byleth’s counters, and at some point a distant part of his brain realises that he could actually win this. It’ll be close, and it’s certainly not guaranteed, but he can visualise it in a way he couldn’t before; see where he has finally learned to take advantage of her minuscule openings.</p><p>Byleth is unable to stop his onslaught, although she does prevent herself from being hounded into a corner by him.</p><p>What gives Felix the win is when her foot sinks into the soft mud, throwing her balance off. Only slightly. Just a tiny bit. Anyone with less skill might not have noticed, and fewer still could have turned it to their advantage.</p><p>Felix sees the opening, and he takes it, careful not to actually stab her – as she’s been careful to do, all these days together – as he attacks.</p><p>Byleth stills at the touch of the sword against her abdomen, glancing down.</p><p>“Yield,” Felix whispers fiercely, hardly able to believe that he’s finally, <em>finally</em>, beaten her.</p><p>She swallows, dropping her arms. “I yield.” She whispers this too, but it’s so soft it’s almost lost.</p><p>Felix’s breath whooshes out of him, and he withdraws his weapon and steps back. His pulse is racing.</p><p>“I won,” he says, a smile stretching across his face.</p><p>“You did.” Byleth swallows. “Well done,” she says, voice thick. She looks away from him, blinking rapidly.</p><p>“It was close,” Felix admits.</p><p>“You won, Felix. Enjoy it.” Still not looking at him, Byleth turns the sword in her hand parallel to her body and holds it out to him. “Here.”</p><p>His delight at winning ebbs slightly as he looks at the sword being offered to him. And, suddenly, what he’d so greedily asked for before now seems completely wrong.</p><p>He takes a step back, shaking his head. “I don’t want to take your weapon. You need it.”</p><p>Byleth doesn’t lower her arm, but that dreadfully sad look crosses her face again. “I won’t need it anymore.” She tries to smile, but it looks wrong. “And I have no one to fight with, now.”</p><p>Felix struggles for words, once again wanting to ask her to come with him when he leaves here. But he remembers the rejection of the previous day too well for that. “I’m not taking your sword, Byleth.”</p><p>She opens her hand and the sword crashes to the ground between them. “You won it fairly. You can either leave it here or take it.” With that, she turns and takes a step away, but Felix is quick, darting forward to gently wrap a hand around her upper arm. He ignores the sword.</p><p>“Let me go, Felix,” she says, sounding tired, staring at the ground.</p><p>He doesn’t like the wavering in her voice and wishes she’d look up at him. “Why are you acting like you’ll never see me again?”</p><p>“Aren’t you leaving, once you kill the dragon?”</p><p>That had been his intention. “I’d stay. To… to see you.” Embarrassment rushes over him but he means what he says. He can’t imagine not seeing her again. “I want to make sure my win today wasn’t a fluke.” He releases her arm and hesitantly slides his fingers under her chin, tilting her head up.</p><p>When she raises her head, Felix is shocked to see tears glistening on the end of her eyelashes. She blinks, and a tear falls, splashing across her cheek. Without thinking, Felix brushes it away, sweeping his thumb over the soft skin of her cheeks.</p><p>Her eyes widen and small gasp escapes her, lips parting slightly.</p><p>All Felix can think about is kissing her.</p><p>“Don’t think you’ll win so easily against me next time,” she says, smiling, but it’s still pained.</p><p>Voice rough, he replies, “I wouldn’t make that mistake again.” Finally he drops his hand, wishing he wasn’t wearing gloves.</p><p>“If I asked you not to fight the dragon… would you?”</p><p>Byleth’s expression is so hopeful that it disarms him.</p><p>There’s a part of him that wants to do as she asks. Forget this lofty hunt and…</p><p>And what?</p><p>Visit a woman that won’t even tell him where she lives? That seems to go out of her way to be mysterious? She <em>could</em> be married for all he knows.</p><p>Felix withdraws, stepping backwards, and it’s clear that’s enough of an answer for Byleth, who nods, shakily, in acceptance.</p><p>Not for the first time, Felix feels like there’s something he’s missing.</p><p>“I’ll still come find you, after,” he says, uncertain.</p><p>But Byleth shakes her head. “I think it’s best we say goodbye now.” Felix opens his mouth to argue with her, but she holds up a hand. “There’s nothing more to be said.” Her eyes briefly drop to the sword on the ground before rising back to his face. “I wish you every happiness, Felix Fraldarius.”</p><p>He doesn’t like the finality of that, but Byleth has turned away and is moving swiftly back towards the trees. When calls out her name, she doesn’t stop. It takes everything in Felix not to run after her and touch her again.</p><p>But he doesn’t.</p><p>Conflicted, he reaches down to pick up the sword Byleth had left. It really is beautifully made, and he decides in that moment that he’ll find her once he’s killed the dragon and return it to her.</p><p>But first, it’s time to do what he’d come here for.</p><p>.</p><p>As Felix makes his way further into the mountains, much further than he’s ever gone before, his head remains full of Byleth. Any satisfaction he felt at defeating her has long since left and all that remains is something troubled.</p><p>He swears to himself that he will see her again.</p><p>.</p><p>The day drags and he climbs higher, eventually deciding to stop for the night in a place where the rocky path widens out. He needs to give himself some space if the dragon appears. It’s much quieter this high up – there’s less trees and vegetation, which means less animals. The birdsong that had been constant background noise back at the lake is nowhere to be heard here.</p><p>Felix prepares himself as night falls, scavenging what he can to build a fire.</p><p>But he hesitates before he lights it, one more thinking of Byleth and how much she didn’t want to him to do this.</p><p>Darkness falls.</p><p>He glances up into the clear night sky and makes a decision.</p><p>And lights the fire.</p><p>.</p><p>A full moon is high in the sky.</p><p>Once again, he can feel the dragon before he sees it. There’s a subtle change in the air around him before it appears, flying over him and landing gracefully across the clearing.</p><p>Warily, Felix withdraws his sword and watches it carefully.</p><p>There is no roaring this time, but the beast lowers its head and cocks it to the side, one eye fixed on Felix.</p><p>It’s a beautiful creature, Felix realises. Under the moonlight, its scales look to be a similar colour to Byleth’s hair, and for a brief moment, he feels a pang of guilt at what he’s about to do.</p><p>He brushes it aside.</p><p>“Are you actually going to fight me this time?” he calls out, perhaps foolishly.</p><p>The dragon huffs like it understands him and raises its head. Like the last time, it spits out that same attack it had last time, making Felix jump back. But just like before, it hits the ground well in front of him, no real danger in it at all.</p><p>“Is that a no?” Felix murmurs, more to himself than anything else.</p><p>His ancestor had made a deal with this beast. So perhaps it can understand him.</p><p>Felix steps forward, over the scorched earth, raising Byleth’s sword. The dragon’s eye follow it.</p><p>“You’ve been allowed to live here long enough. I, Felix Fraldarius, will be the one to end it.”</p><p>If he’d hoped his name would have some kind of reaction, he’s disappointed. The dragon simply huffs again, stretching out its wings.</p><p>Felix eyes the impressive wingspan briefly before he charges nimbly forward, slashing at the creature’s neck. It dodges easily, as he’d expected it would, but he needs to see exactly how it moves.</p><p>It goes on like this for some time, and Felix is frustratingly reminded of his first duel with Byleth, in which he kept attacking and she kept deflecting.</p><p>Unlike then, though, he’ll keep his patience, even if he can’t figure out why the dragon is doing this. He’s careful to conserve his strength, too, because this could go on for a while. But he learns how the dragon moves, sees that there’s a vulnerable moment when it starts to take off, raising on its hind legs as its wings begin to beat. Those same wings knock back anyone trying to approach it from the front.</p><p>It’s the wings that are the problem, he decides, and what will cause this dragon to get away whenever it gets bored. Felix feints, throwing a Thoron at one side of the beast, darting close and looking like he’s aiming for the head. The creature turns, neck twisting and jaws snapping when Felix suddenly changes course and rends his sword through one of the dragon’s wings.</p><p>It lets out a deafening screech of pain that leaves Felix’s ears ringing. Those powerful jaws come snapping for him again, and he dodges and backs away, taking stock of the result of his attack.</p><p>His sword has torn right through the delicate looking skin of the wing, leaving it ruined and ragged. The dragon screeches again, and Felix grits his teeth against the noise, feeling guilt rise in him again. But he shakes it off – he can’t afford to have doubts now, not when he’s grounded the dragon and ensured that this will end soon, one way or another.</p><p>He’s definitely pissed it off though, and this time, when it fires that beam of light at him, it’s far closer than it ever has been before.</p><p>Their dance begins anew as the sky begins to lighten, but Felix still gets the impression that the creature isn’t fighting with everything it has. Perhaps the ruined wing has impaired it, he muses. Regardless, Felix is once again reminded of Byleth – of the same feeling he’d had when he’d fought her earlier that day. The knowledge that if he continues what he’s doing, he can win this, especially because it seems like the dragon won’t, or just isn’t able, to fight him properly. It snaps at him, and rakes its claws at him, and fires that deadly beam of light and while some of them could have seriously injured Felix if he’d been hit, he just can’t shake the feeling that it isn’t fighting him with everything its got.</p><p>Is it toying with him? Trying to wear him down?</p><p>Light begins peeking over the mountain, and the dragon twists its head to the east, hissing. It backs away from Felix, its movements becoming jerky, almost panicked.</p><p>It’s enough to allow Felix to get closer, sword striking the edge of its vulnerable underbelly. The dragon shrieks and rears up, head twisting and wings beating. But despite the chaos, Felix is still able to stay on his feet because he’s standing on the side of the broken, ragged wing, negating the attack. He manages to dodge the snapping jaws, and swing his sword upwards for the killing blow, sinking Byleth’s blade into soft flesh.</p><p>The noise the dragon makes reverberates up his sword and through his arms, and he can’t keep a hold of his sword any longer. One of the dragon’s legs smacks against him, knocking him away and to the ground. Felix recovers quickly, rolling as he falls so that he doesn’t hurt himself, and withdrawing his second sword from the sheathe and leaping back onto his feet, trying to ignore the ringing in his ears.</p><p>But the dragon staggers away from him, still making that awful sound. It collapses to the ground, green eyes rolling in its head.</p><p>Felix swallows, and cautiously moves closer. The screeching stops, replaced by a painful wheezing that somehow seems even worse.</p><p>He’s won, he knows this. The dragon is dying. He’s accomplished what he set out to do.</p><p>So why doesn’t he feel even the slightest bit victorious?</p><p>He should put the creature out of its misery, he knows. End its suffering. But now he can’t find it in him to raise his sword again. His eyes meet that of the dragon’s and it lets out a pitiful whine.</p><p>Green eyes, the same shade as Byleth’s.</p><p>Is that why he feels so guilty?</p><p>For some inexplicable reason, Felix feels like crying.</p><p>The sword slips from his hand. “I’m sorry,” he whispers.</p><p>The sun rises higher, and a beam of sunlight falls over them. The dragon’s scales ripple under it, and suddenly the creature is engulfed in light, so bright that Felix has to turn away and shield his eyes. He drops to his knees, grasping for the sword he’d dropped, thinking this is some kind of new attack.</p><p>He can smell and taste the feel of magic at the back of his throat, and he curses himself for letting his guard down.</p><p>The light fades quickly enough and he blinks rapidly, turning back towards the dragon, sword at the ready.</p><p>Except there is no dragon.</p><p>The blood still stains the ground. Byleth’s sword is lying there too, also covered in blood.</p><p>And beside it is Byleth herself, gasping in pain, hand clutching her abdomen. She’s wearing that dress, the only dress he’s ever seen her in, and he can see the blood seeping through the fabric.</p><p>“<em>No</em>,” he whispers, the horrifying realisation of what he’s done hitting him with such force that he stumbles. At the same time he also realises just what he’s failed to notice before in every single interaction he’s had with Byleth.</p><p>His father had told him and Glenn stories about dragons.</p><p>He’d also told them stories of cursed maidens, bewitched by mages.</p><p>Felix’s sword clatters to the ground and he rushes forward to kneel by Byleth’s side, placing his hand over hers and applying pressure in a completely futile attempt to staunch the wound.</p><p>“Byleth.” His voice cracks and he meets her eyes, glazed over in pain. “I’m sorry. I’m <em>sorry.</em> I didn’t know.” The tears are building at the corners of his eyes and for once in his life he’s not embarrassed by them.</p><p>He doesn’t know healing magic. Why doesn’t he know any healing magic? His father is a holy knight, why didn’t he learn from him?</p><p>“I have a vulnerary,” he says, desperate, his free hand groping at his belt for it. It won’t help, he knows. Not for a wound like this. But he has to try, even if a vulnerary cannot help. <em>He has to try.</em></p><p>Byleth wheezes and coughs. “Felix. Stop.” Her eyes flicker closed and he’s seized with a terrible fear that she won’t open them again.</p><p>He stops searching for the vulnerary, and with a trembling hand he takes her free one in his own. “I’m sorry,” he cries again.</p><p>Her eyes flicker open. “It’s okay, Felix. You didn’t know. I forgive you.”</p><p>He shakes his head. She can’t forgive him. She can’t forgive him for killing her.</p><p>“What can I do?” he pleads. Selfishly perhaps. He’s pleading with the woman he’s just <em>killed</em> for a way to save her.</p><p>Her bloodstained fingers lace through his. “Would you kiss me?”</p><p>Whatever request he’d been expecting, it hadn’t been that. “W-what?”</p><p>“I’ve never been kissed before and I want you–“ She stops and shudders, eyes fluttering again as she writhes in pain and Felix can only look on helplessly. “I wanted you to kiss me, before,” she whispers, voice weak.</p><p><em>I wanted to kiss you too</em>, he realises, and then, <em>I’m in love with you</em>.</p><p>It’s a realisation that hits him far too late, but he can give her what she asks, even if that, too, is selfish of him.</p><p>Carefully, so carefully, he leans over her. His tears fall on her face, and she takes another rattling breath. Felix knows by the sound that she doesn’t have many left. He lets go of one of her hands and cradles her face gently, uncaring of the blood.</p><p>He kisses her softly, and he feels her hand wrap around his wrist, clinging onto him tightly. She’s too cold. She’s already too cold and that thought makes him break the kiss with a sob.</p><p>“It’s alright,” she says, her eyes closed, lips still close enough to brush against him. “I couldn’t tell you.”</p><p>“A curse?”</p><p>A tiny nod and then her eyes open again. She smiles. “I was so angry with you, but I’m glad I met you, Felix Fraldarius. Kiss me again.”</p><p>He can hear the demand in her voice, weak though it might be, and Felix obliges her, kissing her, with more than a touch of desperation. He draws back when he feels the hand around his wrist go slack and fall to her side.</p><p>“No,” he pleads to the goddess that he’s never believed in before. “Please, no.”</p><p>Byleth’s eyes have closed again, and she has a small smile on her face. Her painful breaths have stopped, and as Felix checks her pulse in anguish, he realises it’s because she’s stopped breathing.</p><p>“No,” he says again, like his words will change anything. Like he can fight <em>this</em>. “I love you.” Roughly he wipes the tears from his eyes, despair washing over him. “You’re not allowed to die!”</p><p>His words, which have steadily been rising in volume, are punctuated by yet another flash of light, forcing him to squeeze his eyes shut and throw an arm over his face to block it out. The magic is back in the air, so strong this time it feels like it’s coating his tongue in something greasy, and Felix has to turn his head away, coughing.</p><p>It takes longer for the light to disappear this time, and when it finally does, Felix has to blink out the tears and the spots dancing in front of eyes before he can focus again.</p><p>When he does, he can see that Byleth is still lying on the ground, still covered with blood and unmoving.</p><p>But her hair has changed colour. He stares in disbelief at the dark teal strands that have replaced the light green. Reaching out, he curls a tendril of it around his finger.</p><p>Byleth’s eyes snap open just as she takes a shuddering breath, and Felix falls on his backside in surprise. Gathering himself quickly, he leans over her, hands fluttering at her pulse.</p><p>It beats, perhaps not as strong as he’d like but <em>there</em>, under his touch.</p><p>“Felix?” she asks, blinking at him blearily.</p><p>“I’m– I’m here,” he responds, bewildered, eyes now focused on the large bloody mess on her dress, trying to understand what’s just happened. Has the bleeding stopped?</p><p>Her hand catches his wrist again and he glances at her face. That small smile is there again, but this time her eyes are open and looking at him.</p><p>Her blue eyes.</p><p>“Byleth?”</p><p>“I love you too,” she says softly, smiling wider before she closes her eyes and rests her head back on the ground.</p><p>“Byleth?” Whatever positive feelings her words might have raised in him are crushed by fear and panic. Pulling the dagger out from his belt, he carefully peels away the blood sodden fabric around her abdomen and cuts through it, trying to jostle her as little as possible. He pulls off a glove to check and there’s blood – so much blood – but the skin is smooth. There’s no wound, nothing to indicate there had ever been a wound there at all, not even the feel of scarred skin that even magic can leave behind. And this is surely magic.</p><p>He glances back up at her face, which is smooth and serene. Her chest rises and falls like a person sleeping, her breathing easy. Once again he checks her pulse – at her wrists, her neck… and then he gently cradles her face again, brushing matted hair behind her ears.</p><p>Her skin feels warmer than it had before. And not too warm, like she has a fever. Just right.</p><p>With a disbelieving but relieved laugh, Felix looks around. The sun is rising ever higher in the sky, and it’s going to be a beautiful day. He looks back down, at the woman in his arms who appears to be <em>sleeping</em>.</p><p>The woman who has just told him she loved him.</p><p>.</p><p>The journey back down the mountain is slow. Despite the fact that Byleth seems to be somehow miraculously healed, Felix carries her as carefully as he can, taking slow, measured steps so she isn’t disturbed too much.</p><p>And he’s tired, too. While the dragon – while <em>Byleth</em> – hadn’t actually injured him, it had been a long battle after a long day and he’s weary. But he’s determined to get back to the town and Byleth to a healer. So he ignores his exhaustion and the trembling in his arms, and only takes short stops when he has to, gently setting Byleth down so he can rest for a moment and take a drink of water.</p><p>Not once does she stir.</p><p>By the time he makes it back to the town, it’s late afternoon. One of the guards blanches when he sees Felix approaching, covered in blood and carrying an unconscious woman.</p><p>”What–“</p><p>“A healer,” Felix interrupts him. “She needs a healer.”</p><p>The guard nods. “This way.” But he doesn’t move immediately. “Do you want me to carry her?”</p><p>“No,” he snarls. “Just show me the way.”</p><p>With another nod, the guard takes off and Felix follows, ignoring the whispers and gasps that follow him through the streets. The guard leads him to the healer’s house and opens the door to allow Felix inside.</p><p>Immediately, the woman inside – hopefully the healer herself – stands and begins asking questions that Felix can’t quite make out, because his head is beginning to spin. Instead, he staggers over to a chair and places Byleth in it as gently as he can.</p><p>And then he passes out.</p><p>.</p><p>He wakes in a comfortable bed, opening his eyes to find himself staring at a wooden ceiling. In the distance he can hear the sounds of the town.</p><p>“Glad to see you’re finally awake,” a droll voice sounds from beside him.</p><p>“Glenn!” Felix sits up sharply, ignoring the way his head spins, and turns to face his brother. “What are you–“</p><p>Glenn cocks his head to side. “Felix, really.” He laughs lowly, but there’s no mirth in it. “If you intended to use Gautier as your cover, you should have let Sylvain in on your plan.”</p><p>Felix remains silent.</p><p>“Father and I got concerned when you got another letter from Sylvain – when you were supposedly staying with him. We raised some men and rode north searching for you, just in case something had happened to you along the way.”</p><p><em>Oh, shit.</em> In all the weeks he’d been away, something like this happening hadn’t occurred to Felix. He’d stayed this long at Gautier before, countless times, and hadn’t considered <em>anything</em> could happen that might arouse suspicion.</p><p>“Glenn–“</p><p>His brother shushed him, a flicker of anger crossing his face. “Sylvain joined us, and Ingrid.” Felix’s heart sinks further. “Dimitri wanted to, but he’s stuck in Fhirdiad, you know how it is. Everyone was worried. But it made no sense. The road between Fraldarius and Gautier is safe, and you’re better able to take care of yourself than most. Imagine my surprise when I returned home to find a letter from <em>you</em>, supposedly sent from Gautier.” Glenn narrows his eyes. “The messenger who’d delivered it had left, and it took some time to track them down and get some answers. But we got them in the end.” He shakes his head. “The dragon, Felix, <em>really</em>? And you got some girl caught up in it all, too? Everyone’s saying she was mauled by the dragon.”</p><p><em>Fuuuuck</em>.</p><p>Felix pulls himself further upright, the mention of Byleth making him even more anxious. “Is she okay?”</p><p>Glenn frowns. “I’m not sure, the healer wouldn’t tell me, but–“</p><p>“Father’s not here?”</p><p>“No. He said I’d make you feel guiltier, and that he’d talk to you when you got home. It was harder to convince Sylvain and Ingrid not to come.” Glenn says each word heavily, each one another blow of guilt hitting Felix. Their father had been right. “I’ve already written to let them know I found you.”</p><p>Felix lets out a long breath. “How long have I been out?”</p><p>“About a day. Healer says you’re fine, just exhausted. Felix–“</p><p>“I’m sorry,” he says in a rush. “Glenn, I’m sorry. I didn’t think I’d be gone this long so I never made a plan and she – Byleth, I have to see her.”</p><p>“Byleth?”</p><p>Felix swings his legs over the side of the bed, kicking off the covers and standing up. It takes a moment for the dizziness to pass, but otherwise he feels fine. “The woman with me.” He can’t hide his anxiety. “Where is she?”</p><p>Glenn is watching him with a surprised expression. “Back at the healers. We moved you to the inn and–“</p><p>Felix isn’t listening. He’s already wearing pants and a shirt – clean, he’ll have to thank Glenn later, so once he sees his boots he sits down to pull them on. When he rises to leave, strapping his sword around his waist, Glenn places a heavy hand on his shoulder.</p><p>“Felix, stop.”</p><p>“No, I need to know she’s alright.” Felix shakes off the hand on his shoulder and strides out of the room, with Glenn quick on his heels.</p><p>His brother stays quiet until they’re back out on the streets.</p><p>“What happened with her, Felix?”</p><p>“She was in the mountains. She was– I–“ He stops, instead choosing to pick up the pace. He doesn’t know what to tell Glenn. What he’d experienced up on the mountain now seems surreal as he walks through a busy town, loud and bustling with people going about their lives. And he’s still not entirely sure <em>what</em> happened.</p><p>All he knows is that he wants to talk to Byleth before anyone else.</p><p>Glenn doesn’t push, instead keeping up with Felix’s almost running pace.</p><p>When they reach the healer, she regards him with far less surprise than she had the day before. “Thought you’d be back to see her. Feeling okay?”</p><p>He nods impatiently. “I’m fine. Take me to her.”</p><p>She looks unimpressed by Felix’s rudeness. “She’ll be fine. She lost a lot of blood, which is what made her so weak. I was impressed by how well you healed her, though. You don’t look like the type able to do such magic. I don’t know why you thought you needed me at all.”</p><p>Glenn shoots Felix a sharp look, one that Felix pointedly ignores. Glenn knows well that Felix is no healer. “Take me to her,” is all he says, repeating his words even more impatiently.</p><p>She nods, lips pursed, and turns away.</p><p>Felix glances back at Glenn, who shrugs. “I’ll wait here for you.”</p><p>Felix is immensely relieved he’s willing to wait for answers, and murmurs a thanks before following the healer.</p><p>.</p><p>Byleth is lying on a bed in a small, quiet room on her own, and she’s still asleep. The healer does a quick check over her, checking her pulse and then casting a gentle healing spell that feels light and fresh before leaving.</p><p>Felix drops into a seat by the bed, relieved to see that someone has cleaned Byleth up and changed her clothes. It’s so strange to see her like this – her hair a different colour, and dressed in a plain white shift rather than the fancy dress he’s only ever seen her wearing before. He watches her for a few moments, some of his anxiety leaving when he sees she’s breathing normally.</p><p>“I hope you wake up soon,” he whispers, and hesitantly reaches out to touch one of her hands that rest by her side, over the blankets.</p><p>Her skin is warm and soft and Felix’s breath catches at the touch. After a moment, he goes to pull his hand away, but her fingers tighten around him.</p><p>“I was waiting for you,” a groggy voice replies, and Felix sits up straight in surprise, eyes flickering back to her face. Sleepy blue eyes are blinking back at him.</p><p>“Byleth?” he asks, a little embarrassed by the way his voice cracks on her name. “Do you need the healer?”</p><p>She shakes her head against the pillow, closing her eyes again. But her grip on his hand remains tight. “Help me sit up,” she murmurs.</p><p>Felix does so, heart hammering as he arranges the pillows and holds a hand to her back to help her sit up and lean against them. Noticing a pitcher of water on the table by the bed, he hastily pours her some, which she accepts gratefully.</p><p>Her hand is steady as she drinks.</p><p>“Thank you.” She peers at him, looking a bit more alert and glancing around as he replaces the glass on the table. “Where are we?”</p><p>“The town. I brought you back after–“</p><p>Alarmed, her eyes widen. “What time is it?”</p><p>“Uh… afternoon. I’m not sure exactly–“</p><p>Her hand claws at his wrist. “You have to take me back before it gets dark.”</p><p>Understanding dawns on him. “Byleth, it’s fine. You won’t change into a dragon.”</p><p>“How do you know for sure?” He can hear the fear in her voice, and moves from the chair to the side of the bed to be closer to her, wrapping her hands in his.</p><p>“Because you’ve been here for over a day already.”</p><p>She stares at him, disbelieving.</p><p>“Your hair has changed colour too. And your eyes.”</p><p>That makes her start in surprise, and Felix releases her hands so she can pull her hair forward, breath catching at the sight of the dark strands.</p><p>He shifts, and asks carefully, “Do you remember what happened?”</p><p>Dropping her hair, she looks at him again and nods.</p><p>Felix lets out a loud breath. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. If I’d known I would never… are you sure you’re okay?”</p><p>She’s staring at him, eyes wide, with that infinitely sad expression again. “It’s alright. You didn’t know.” She pauses. “You didn’t know that I… I was the dragon.” She blinks, looking surprised by her own words.</p><p>“You couldn’t say it before, could you?”</p><p>She shakes her head.</p><p>“A curse?”</p><p>She nods.</p><p>“When? Was it my… my ancestor?” Felix had wondered about it, as he made his way down the mountain, if the Fraldarius who had forced the dragon into the mountain had been the one who made her that way in the first place. His family weren’t known for their mages, but he supposed it could happen.</p><p>She shakes her head again, and Felix gives her a moment to gather herself, watching as her eyes dance around the room. He wonders when she’s last been in a town, or slept in a bed.</p><p>“It was a long time ago,” Byleth murmurs and then glances down, fingering the fabric of the plain shift she’s wearing. It looks rough, and probably of a much less finer fabric than that other dress, but a tiny smile flickers across her face as she regards it before she looks back at Felix. “My father was a renowned mercenary. His name was Jeralt the Blade Breaker. He gave up being a mercenary when he fell in love with my mother, instead using his skills to defend the town they settled down in. We were happy, but my mother died when I was young.” Her brow furrows. “My father raised me, doing his best. Until a mage– there was a mage…” Her face scrunches up, and wanting to comfort her, Felix reaches out to hold her hand again. She accepts the touch gratefully.</p><p>“You don’t have to tell me.”</p><p>“I want to,” she replies, firm. “He wanted to hire my father… I think he had hired him before, when he’d still been the Blade Breaker. He said my father owed him.” She frowns again and Felix can see her trying to remember. “His magic was awful. It stole your breath and left a horrible taste at the back of your throat. Dark magic, my father called it.” She blinks, trailing off as she again looks around the room. Felix remains silent, letting her gather her thoughts.</p><p>Byleth’s eyes eventually land on his face, and then she starts talking again, rubbing her thumb over the back of his hand. “My father refused the job, whatever it was. Said no gold in the world would make him do it. The mage punished him for it by cursing me, and said he’d revert the curse only if my father did the job. I’d been wearing that dress when he cursed me… we’d been at dinner…”</p><p>She again falls silent for a long time.</p><p>“I couldn’t speak of the curse to tell anyone what I was. But when the sun set, every night, I turned into the dragon. I changed back when the sun rose. It made my hair change colour.” She lets out a shaky sigh. “My father thought the curse would break if the mage died,” she whispers. “But when he killed him it didn’t work. And he died from his wounds in that battle, leaving me alone.”</p><p>The sadness on her face propels Felix forward, letting go of her hands only so he can hug her. She tucks her head under his chin, sliding her own arms around him. “The stories are true, Felix, I did kill people. I was so confused and angry, hardly able to control myself as a dragon, and I regret what I did. Your ancestor beat me back to the mountains one night and saw me transform in the morning. He wasn’t very sympathetic, but I <em>had</em> killed his people. Despite that, he found he wasn’t able to kill an unarmed woman.” She pulls back. “He gave me his sword, and I gave him my word.”</p><p>“That sword was from a Fraldarius?”</p><p>Byleth nods against him while Felix digests that. In the stories he’s heard, that part had certainly never been told.</p><p>“I mostly slept after that… for years, decades at a time. I never got any older.”</p><p>“What broke the curse?”</p><p>Blue eyes search his face. “You, I think. Your kiss. Your love.”</p><p>He flushes, but Byleth chases away his embarrassment by leaning forward to press a soft kiss against his lips.</p><p>“Thank you,” she says against him.</p><p>“But I <em>stabbed</em> you.”</p><p>“You did. Did you really have no idea I was the dragon?”</p><p>“No! I wouldn’t have hurt you if I’d known,” he all but yells, pulling back from her, still unable to believe she’s forgiving him so quickly. “Why would I think that? I thought you were weird, not that you were a dragon.”</p><p>“Turns out I was both.”</p><p>“Byleth,” he groans, part of him wanting to laugh. “You almost died–“</p><p>“But I didn’t,” she says, taking his face in her hands. “You have the chance to make it up to me. So will you ask me again?” Byleth goes on.</p><p>He frowns. “Ask you what?”</p><p>“Does the offer for you to take me wherever I want still stand?”</p><p>He does laugh at that, relief and guilt and love all mixed up inside him. Curling a hand into her hair, he leans closer. “Anywhere you want,” he whispers against her lips, before he kisses her again.</p><p>“Anywhere?”</p><p>“I have to go home first,” he admits. “My brother is here, and everyone is upset with me because I didn’t tell anyone what I was doing.”</p><p>“Glenn is here?” Byleth asks with clear interest. “I’d like to meet him.”</p><p>Felix is conflicted about that. It's not that he doesn't want Glenn to meet Byleth, but he doesn't want to share her yet. “He’s downstairs…”</p><p>“But?”</p><p>“I want to kiss you more first.”</p><p>She laughs – a beautiful sound, no sadness in it at all – and pulls him back to her. “That’s fine,” she says between breathless kisses. “I want that, too.”</p><p>Felix finds himself pressing closer to her. “Good. So will you come with me to Fraldarius?”</p><p>Byleth’s own hands are drawing him closer too. “Of course. You beat me twice, so I need to break your winning streak.” She captures his lips for another quick kiss as her fingers play with his hair.</p><p>He grins and begins to trail kisses down her neck. “I won’t go easy on," he murmurs against her skin.</p><p>“I’d be insulted if you did,” is her breathless answer. “And then, after that? We go anywhere we want?”</p><p>He lifts his head, running a thumb over her warm cheek and brushing some dark hair out of her eyes. “Anywhere,” he promises, and pulls her in for another kiss.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Meanwhile Glenn is sitting downstairs resisting the urge to go up and smash the door down and get some answers.</p><p>I HOPE EVERYONE HAD A GOOD FELILETH WEEK. 💕</p>
        </blockquote><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Using a Les Mis song as my fic title, how cliche........ next it'll be Hozier. </p>
<p>I did not quite finish this fic on time but I still wanted to at least post part of it on the correct day. The rest of it is mostly written and should hopefully be up in the next couple of days, depending on, you know, life.</p></blockquote></div></div>
</body>
</html>